ITC Great Plains, LLC has filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the approval of rates that would apply to ITC Great Plains' transmission projects in Kansas and elsewhere in the Southwest Power Pool, Inc. region. This application is a major milestone for ITC Great Plains; approval of the application would provide the company with the regulatory certainty required to make significant transmission investments in Kansas and the SPP region.

"ITC and ITC Great Plains have a singular focus on electric transmission because we believe it has a critical role in supporting a national energy vision, improving electric reliability, supporting the integration of wind and other renewable resources and spurring economic development," said Edward M. Rahill, senior vice president and chief financial officer of ITC Holdings Corp., parent company of ITC Great Plains. "This next step demonstrates ITC's continued commitment to Kansas and the SPP region to build a robust transmission backbone needed to achieve these goals and provide a brighter, cleaner tomorrow."

The application seeks approval of a formula transmission rate for ITC Great Plains as an independent transmission company in SPP. The application also seeks incentives for major transmission projects that ITC Great Plains has committed to construct in Kansas, including the KETA Project, which would run from Spearville to a point near Hays, Kansas, and then northward to Axtell, Nebraska, and the Kansas V-Plan, which would run from Spearville southward to Comanche County and then on a northeastern track to Wichita.

Federal approval is an essential prerequisite to moving ahead with the creation of a new, independent transmission company which is dedicated to investing in transmission within the SPP region. Seeking regulatory approval from the FERC for a rate is a significant milestone for ITC Great Plains, however additional regulatory approvals will be required before ITC Great Plains can commence construction of the projects it has committed to build, including cost allocation for the KETA Project and the Kansas V-Plan.